SETTING THE TABLE
Fairfield University women's lacrosse will kick off a three-game road trip Saturday when they head out to Long Island to take on Hofstra. Opening draw between the Stags and the Pride is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. from James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y.
HISTORY VS HOFSTRA
Fairfield and Boston University's women's lacrosse teams have faced each other just five times prior to Saturday, but have gone head-to-head each year since 2016, with the exception of last season, when Fairfield played a MAAC-only calendar during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
LAST TIME OUT
Libby Rowe scored three of her four goals on the day in the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter, helping push Fairfield University women's lacrosse past Boston University 14-10, as the Stags improve to 3-1 on the season.
Rowe's four goals came in addition to a pair assists as she finished with six total points on the day, which ties her career-high which she set earlier this season, to lead Fairfield in goals and points. Amanda Kozak was the other player to record a hat trick in the game, ahead of four other goal scorers for the Stags on Wednesday.
Defensively, Nicollette LaVista collected five draw controls to pace the team ahead of Harrell's four, and three from Kelly Horning, while Rowe led the ground ball totals with three, ahead of four different Stags who corralled two apiece. Casey Collins made her first collegiate start between the pipes, playing all 60 minutes, logging seven saves in the process.
SCOUTING THE STAGS
Fairfield enters Saturday at 3-1 on the year and in-search of their third straight win, with the only loss on the campaign coming to then No. 23 UConn on Feb. 16.
Libby Rowe and Elizabeth Talluto sit atop the scoring column for Fairfield on the young season with 11 goals apiece, and Rowe's seven assists on the puts her two ahead of Talluto for the team lead in both assists and points. Rowe's seven helpers is tied for the 15th best mark in all of Division I and her 18 points is tied for the ninth-highest total in nation going into the weekend. Rowe and Talluto are also tied with Rylee Harell, who has also scored 11 goals, and stands third on the team with 14 points.
On defense, Nicolette LaVista has corralled a team-high 25 draw controls, more than double the next best mark, that being nine controls by Harrell. Co-Captain Kelly Horning leads the team with 10 ground balls on the year and also leads all active Division I players in ground balls for a career, and she has also caused the most turnovers of any Stag, forcing seven thus far.
SCOUTING THE PRIDE
Saturday marks the home opener for Hofstra and marks the third time Fairfield will play in an opponent's home debut this season. On the year the Pride are 2-1 on the year, most recently defeating Brown in the midweek 12-7.
Katie Whelan leads the offensive output with nine goals in addition to a single helper to put her one Taylor Mennella in the point totals, as Mennella sits second on the team with seven goals, and is currently the only member of the Pride with multiple assists on the season.
Defensively Shannon Boyle has collected seven draw controls to pace the team in that category, ahead of Brynn Hepting and Courtney Carollo with five each. Boyle also leads the team in forced turnovers, while in goal Jess Smoth has played every minute for Hofstra, making 33 saves while posting a .569 save percentage and 8.37 goals against average.
HORNING SETS PROGRAM RECORD FOR GROUND BALLS
With a ground ball in the first half of a Feb. 16 meeting with UConn, Kelly Horning collected the 170th ground ball of her career, passing Mary Tortora for the all-time record at Fairfield University.
PROCTOR NABS MAAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
It took just two weeks for a member of the Fairfield University women's lacrosse team to earn weekly honors from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), as goalkeeper Phoebe Proctor was named Defensive Player of the Week by the league Monday. The award for Proctor follows a two-match week that saw her play all 120 minutes in the cage, and picked up her second win of the season on the road last Saturday at Wagner.
STAGS EARN TOP SPOT IN MAAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
With less than two weeks before the season opener for Fairfield University Women's Lacrosse, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced the results of the 2022 Preseason Coaches' Poll, with the Stags tabbed to finish atop the conference standings once again.
The three-time defending MAAC champions, Fairfield took home 77 overall points in the poll, including six first-place nods, finishing just ahead of 2019 and 2021 runner-up Siena with 75 points and the remaining three votes. Monmouth, Niagara, and Quinnipiac round out the top five, followed by Marist, Canisius, Manhattan, and Iona who make up No. 6 through No. 9 in the poll.
HORNING NAMED MAAC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
In addition to the Coaches' poll, Kelly Horning was named the 2022 Preseason Player of the Year, after leading the team with 37 goals last season. Horning and Caroline Mangan were selected as Preseason All-MAAC.
Horning's preseason nod comes as she returns to the Stags for a fifth-year after garnering MAAC Midfielder of the Year honors following the 2021 regular season and has made the All-MAAC First-Team squad in each of the last two seasons.
Mangan was the 2021 MAAC Championship MVP after racking up eight caused turnover in the Stags' run to the title. She was also an All-MAAC Second Team honoree, compiling 18 caused turnovers and 14 ground balls while often charged with marking one of the opposition's top attackers.
SEASON SNAPSHOT
The 2022 schedule includes 16 dates overall, including seven games within the friendly confines of Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium. The first half of the schedule features matchups from five different conferences before an eight-game MAAC slate as the Stags look to claim their fourth consecutive conference championship.
LOOKING AHEAD
Fairfield women's lacrosse continues its three-game road trip Wednesday, heading to Pennsylvania for a meeting with Lafayette. Opening draw between the Stags and the Leopards is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from Easton, PA.
